FA claim Burton project is still on track

The Football Association have dismissed suggestions that development of the National Football Centre at Burton has again been put on hold.

Reports have claimed the demise of TV broadcaster Setanta, with whom the FA had lucrative deal, had further delayed the controversial project.

Plans for the Burton centre were first unveiled in 2001 but were mothballed for a number of years during the construction of the new Wembley stadium.

FA chief executive Ian Watmore said: "The FA is continuing to develop a business plan for the National Football Centre.

"We now have a very experienced group of people managing the plans for the NFC, headed by David Sheepshanks.

"It has not been put on a backburner. There remains a strong commitment within the organisation to get the centre up and running as we believe it will be of great benefit to English football and there is a great will to take this forward.

"However, it has to be financially sustainable."We're working hard to develop a robust business case detailing precisely how the centre will operate, how much it will cost and how, together with commercial partners, it will be funded.

"This will be presented to the FA board at the end of this month for further discussion."

The centre was initially devised as an English answer to the successful French academy at Clairefontaine, where the FA could nurture future generations of stars.